Czech Republic Lifts Internal Border Controls with Slovakia

Czechia has finally decided to lift the border controls it placed with Slovakia in an effort to manage the migration situation. The move, announced by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, comes after four months of intense monitoring of the borders. Even though the border checks have been abolished, there will still be random border checks to ensure security.

Concerns about irregular migration led to the initiation of border controls, which have been extended multiple times since their original announcement. This is in response to a significant increase in illegal secondary migration, activity of organized groups of smugglers, and deterioration of the migration and security situation at the EU’s external borders, especially with Slovakia.

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The decision to lift the border controls comes amid increased irregular border attempts and the Israel-Hamas war, which have led several EU countries to reintroduce border controls to better manage the migration situation. For example, Italy and Slovenia have extended their border controls, despite previously committing to restoring free border movement as soon as conditions allow.

Slovenia has also extended internal border controls with Croatia and Hungary for an additional six months. The Slovenian Ministry of Interior stated that the control measures at internal borders will continue to be targeted and focused on the prevention of terrorism, extremism, and cross-border crime.

These recent developments come in the wake of a rise in the threat of violence within the EU following the Israel-Hamas attack, the risk of possible terrorist infiltration, constant migratory pressure by sea and land, and an increase in Central Mediterranean migratory flow and land border with Slovenia. This reflects the EU’s ongoing efforts to prevent irregular migration, as well as terrorism, extremism, and people smuggling.

According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, a total of 380,000 irregular border crossing detections were registered at the EU’s external borders last year, reaching 2016 levels. This shows the continued importance of border controls and monitoring in light of security threats and migration pressures.